The governor of Georgia made national headlines last November for convening a meeting at which he led citizens in praying for rain. Some rain fell the next day, which scoffers said had been predicted anyway; then an inch or more fell the following week. Was it divine intervention? Believers opined it might have been; in any case they praised God for it. (Rain-drenched folks elsewhere would gladly have shared their over-oversupply!) Continue reading …

Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, echoing Psalm 23, uttered a prophetic word about the Messianic calling: “to guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1: 79 NIV). Divine guidance may mean replacing an old path with a new one. Consider how this applies to discernment. We often, and rightly, view discernment as a call to intervene with Spirit-guided words or deeds in lives or situations of other folks. But it also means knowing when to move away in order not to impede God’s work. Organizationally, we “stand aside” from an approved judgment. Personally, we give another person space from our influence. Continue reading …

While cleaning up my library I found a lecture by George H. Williams, “Friends of God and the Prophets” (Harvard Divinity Bulletin, 1965). Professor Williams tutored me in church history one semester, 1952, in Boston. Some the insights of this Anabaptist historian and Harvard Professor shaped my holistic formulations in “New Call to Holiness” and Exploring Heaven. He uses the word “pietism”, a word that with cognates such as “piety”, has strong historical significance, but, alas, got trashed. In Europe Pietists such as Franke, Spener, and Zinzendorf complemented Quaker and Wesleyan teachings about crucifying the self and experiencing ecstatic joy in Christ’s presence within. So, ponder two citations from Williams and reflect upon God’s call to holiness—a solid and challenging theological term.

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Do you recall an old idiom, “Don’t steal my thunder”? It protests one person carelessly or maliciously misappropriating another’s idea, invention, or particular social role. Curious about its origin, I did a bit of research and here’s what I found. Two hundred years ago dramatist John Dennis devised a way to simulate a thunderclap for his play performed at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. He had metal balls roll around in a mustard bowl to achieve this special effect. Well, the play flopped. Sometime later he attended a Shakespearean play during which his thunder-making devise was employed. Considerably agitated, he yelled, reportedly, “They will not let my play run, but they steal my thunder!” (Martin, PhraseFinder)

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Given current challenges to Christian faith within our North American culture, covertly through assorted media-enhanced idolatries and overtly by bold literary attacks from atheists, we may reasonably anticipate more persons within our church communities becoming assailed by doubts. Obviously church leaders should be prepared to cope in a loving spirit and with a cogent Christian apologetic. You pastors may be the first to become aware of such challenges to faith. So I offer two suggestions for your reflection. First, discern and delineate differences between inauthentic and authentic doubt.

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I’ve been trying to adjust my mind (and perhaps my tongue and pen) to some current linguistic modes, especially the penchant for using certain adjectives ending in “al.” I’m pondering three “als” in particular: missional, incarnational, and intentional. This trio joins others in church lingo, some time-dated, such as communal, others with greater continuity, such as spiritual.

Now I don’t object to using adjectives,… Continue reading …

Psalm 130 is one of the most poignant of all. You may not be in a down mood now, but you have been, or will be, or know folks who are. So recite it with me:

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities. (NRSV)

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In conversation about my Mother’s Day Reflections, Margaret Lemmons jokingly insisted that to be gender-fair I should feature Father’s Day equally. So, Margaret, here goes.

From Google I learned that Father’s Day was started by a Spokane woman, Sonora Smart Dodd. This idea came while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. She thought her dad needed celebratory gratitude for his faithful care of a young family early left motherless. Next year a ceremony took place, and the idea spread. The special day was recognized by Congress in 1956 and designated for the third Sunday of June by President Nixon in 1972. Mark your calendars!

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Current cultural conventions of “political correctness” make us cautious about singling out gender characteristics. An acrostic poem found in Proverbs 31 (verses 10-31) used to be read every Mothers’ Day, to the dismay of some women present who considered it too gushy–like flowers for the one with the most children– and, well, paternalistic. Of course, self-effacing persons of both genders find praise a bit hard to swallow, although the rest of us seem to sop it up rather smoothly!

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Here’s a question to ponder with me this April, historically a violent month. Are we Christians ensconced so comfortably in Empire America that we fail to recognize captivity within what we once considered our Promised Land? The Psalmist’s lament is a sobering word.

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